


Monster Behind The Mask

by TheCommanderCas



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Dick needs a hug, Jason is the mom friend, Kidnapping, M/M, Physical Abuse, Rape/Non-con - Freeform, this can get dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-10-17 07:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20617166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCommanderCas/pseuds/TheCommanderCas
Summary: Jason realizes that Dick has been hiding a devastating secret from him and everyone else.  Jason would do anything to protect Dick but soon finds out that what Dick is doing is to protect not only Jason but the other two boys as well. It's not something that he can allow to stand either way and will go to the ends of the earth to stop Bruce from hurting anyone else.





	1. Why Do You Defend Him?

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter isn't too graphic and I'll make sure to put it at the beginning when it gets graphic. Let me know what you think. Comments and kudos make my day! What's something that you'd like to see happen in this story?
> 
> And honestly I love Bruce in reality but I like exploring the darker potential of his character sometimes. I read a lot of fics about Bruce being fucked up and that's what inspired this. One of these is called "All For you" by RichardGraysonPercyJackson (Someone noted that ours are very similar in the beginning)

In retrospect, Dick going to Jason’s apartment had been a cry for help. Dick normally wouldn’t stop by the younger Robin’s apartment during the day and yet he’d done it before and after going to the manor today. Upon his return there was a handprint mark on his right cheek. It was burning and angry but nearly as angry as Jason was when he saw it.   
“Did Bruce do this?” he demanded, his voice an angry snarl. He grabbed Dick’s chin to inspect the mark. It had to be a hard hit to last all the way from the drive to the manor to his apartment in the Narrows. It was evidently the Batman’s handprint as no one else’s hand was that big.

All of the Robins had fought Bruce in the past but it was always instigated by the younger males and Bruce would only respond to their swings. This was different. A slap was a punishment. There was something about the humiliation factor of a slap that made it worse. Bruce had never disciplined them through physical means which made the mark on Dick’s face even worse. It was no secret that Bruce and Dick had a… strange relationship but Jason never thought Bruce would do this. 

“If I said no would you believe me?” Dick asked, blue eyes staring hard at the floor beside Jason. Dick was always unable to make eye contact when lying to his loved ones.

“No because you’re a terrible fucking liar,” Jason scoffed going over to the refrigerator and pulling out some frozen veggies. He pressed it to Dick’s face after wrapping it in a towel. He made the older superhero sit down. Every protective instinct in Jason’s mind screamed to hop on his motorcycle, storm straight up to Bruce, and deck him right in the mouth. How dare he think he could just do this to Dick! Dick out of anyone didn’t deserve it with the way he was always defending the man. “I’m going to kill him.” 

“Jason it’s not that serious,” Dick said.

“Why are you always defending him?”

Dick leveled a heavy sigh, still not making eye contact with Jason. “It’s… complicated okay? You don’t understand and I just…” 

“Just what?” he asked. “I mean I don’t get it Dick. He slapped you in the face and I can tell you think you deserved it. There’s no way in hell you did. I know we’re a fucked up family but Jesus even we have a line.” 

“Jason…” Dick sighed starting to walk away.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” Jason asked, catching his wrist. He and Dick were close he thought. Especially lately they’d been spending a lot of time together and doing maybe not so innocent (definitely not so brotherly) things together. He’d thought they were headed somewhere but maybe he was wrong? If Dick was still choosing to defend Bruce rather than let Jason protect him… And Dick looked nervous. 

“Because there’s nothing to talk about!” he insisted, pulling his wrist away and rubbing it like it hurt but Jason hadn’t grabbed him that hard. His eyes betrayed him though. Dick’s bright blue eyes were wide, nervous and maybe even a little scared. There was also a hint of desperation there. He needed Jason to believe him. “There’s nothing that can be fixed by talking. 

“Then what do I need to do?” Jason asked grabbing Dick’s shoulders. “You just tell me and I will take care of it Dickiebird.” 

Dick wiggled out of his grasp, breathing picking up a tiny bit. It broke Jason’s heart seeing the man he cared for so much scared. Of him. “There’s nothing to take care of Jay. Nothing to fix,” he said. Dick started to take his jacket off, feeling way too hot. As the leather slipped away from his arms Jason saw finger print bruises on Dick’s forearms and wrists. No wonder he’d rubbed them when Jason grabbed them. 

Jason had rarely seen Dick without long sleeves with the lights on. He’d never thought much about it since they tended to just get back to Jason’s apartment, strip down and pass out in bed. All of which could be done in the dark. Even when their lust exceeded their exhaustion that too was done in the dark. Jason never really thought about how all he knew of Dick’s naked body was what he could feel and make out in the dark.

The sight of Dick made Jason’s blood boil. His breath caught and he reached out a hand to lightly brush his fingers over some of the bruises on his left forearm. “Jesus fucking Christ Dick,” he breathed. “Please tell me what happened.” 

The man wrapped his arms around himself. “Just stuff little wing,” he said softly. He wouldn’t look at Jason in the face. “I don’t…. I can’t tell you.” 

Jason’s teeth audibly ground together. “You don’t have to. I can put the pieces together myself and his ass is dead,” he said going to grab his boots. Bruce was abusing Dick. Was he stopping at just physical abuse? Or was there more going on? Dick wouldn’t tell him most likely.

“Jason don’t!” Dick said, grabbing him by the arm. “You can’t. What about Tim and Damian? They still live in the manor. And if you do something stupid the entire league will be on your ass… It’s not that big of a deal. I’m used to it.”

Jason growled in anger. Actually growled and Dick recoiled. “What he’s doing is not right. I don’t give a fuck if the league comes after me. Let them. I’ll be happy knowing that asshole can’t hurt you again.” 

Dick stepped in front of him, blocking him from moving any more. “I can’t lose you Jason,” he said softly. He finally looked up at him, his blue eyes determined and resigned. “IF you go after him I’ll stop you Jay. Please don’t make me do it.” 

“You won’t be able to stop me,” he responded, jaw set firmly. There was no way in hell he was letting this continue. Dick didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be hurt, least of all by Bruce. 

“Listen Jason. Please. You don’t even know what’s going on. It’s… not exactly what it looks like okay?” 

“Then what is it?” 

Dick sighed, looking down. “Promise you won’t go after him and you’ll keep a level head and I’ll tell you. I haven’t told you before because I knew you’d get mad,” he said.

Jason huffed. “Fine,” he grumbled heading to the refrigerator. “Want a beer?” 

“No thanks,” he said watching Jason evenly. 

Jason knew what Dick was looking for. He was waiting for Jason to relax before saying anything. The Red Hood cracked open his can and tipped it back, drinking about half in one gulp. He allowed his shoulders to relax and forced himself to unclench his jaw so that Dick would talk. He looked at the acrobat after a moment, raising a brow to prompt him to speak. 

Dick raked a hand down his face. “Okay fine,” he said. “I… Bruce gets frustrated and so I let him spar with me but I don’t let him hold back. I make him go all out and I let him take his frustrations out on me so that he doesn’t do it to you or one of the boys. He blows off steam with me and then he doesn’t lose his temper with you or Tim or Damian. Everyone wins.”

Jason looked at Dick. He knew the man wasn’t telling the truth. At least not all of it. Surely Dick didn’t expect him to swallow this but one look at the older man he knew that Dick was desperately hoping Jason would. Jason took another chug of his beer before asking, “So are you and Bruce fucking?” He tried to sound impassive but couldn’t help but sound a little hurt at just the thought. It wasn’t that he seriously thought Dick was sleeping with Bruce. At least not willingly and the flinch he got from Dick told him all he needed to know about the situation. 

“What?” he asked frowning and looking at Jason, the hurt evident in his eyes. “I tell you that I let Bruce go all out in training and suddenly I’m sleeping with him?” Dick sounded hurt. Maybe a little bit of forced indignation and definitely a hint of guilt. “Thanks Jaybird. Didn’t realize that you thought so low of me.” 

“I just had to ask,” he said. “I didn’t think you actually were Dick.” He knew there was more to the story than Dick was willing to say at the moment. It bothered Jason. Dick was being hurt and he wanted to protect him but Dick was doing all he could to make that impossible. “Go on.” 

Dick looked at him silently, as if debating about saying more but after a moment he looked away. “There’s nothing else. That’s it. All there is too it.” 

Jason sighed, looking out the window at the setting sun. He could swallow this. Accept it and let it drop for now. Usually if he waited it out Dick would spill his guts but was it worth waiting it out? Even if Dick hated him for forcing him to talk about whatever was really going on, Dick would be safe faster. It hurt more than Jason was willing to admit that Dick wasn’t telling him the truth. 

“Fine,” Jason sighed.

Dick looked relieved that the subject was being dropped. “Can I… stay here tonight?” It wouldn’t be the first night that Dick was staying over. He was staying over more lately.  
“Of course Dickiebird. You’re welcome here whenever you want,” he said. “As long as you want.” Jason smiled softly at him.

Dick gave him one of those heart melting smiles of his. It always took Jason’s breath away to see him smile like that. “Thanks little wing.” 

Jason couldn’t help but smile back, hand reaching out to stroke through Dick’s long locks. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, kissing Dick’s forehead. “I’m not mad at you. Go get cleaned up and I’ll make some dinner.” 

Dick nodded. “Alright. Can I borrow a pair of your sweats again?” 

“Of course. Make yourself at home Dick,” Jason said going to the kitchen. 

Dick went to shower off while Jason cooked. They passed the rest of the evening in comfort, joking and cuddling like Dick had never confessed to allowing Bruce to beat him. Jason barely remembered getting up and shuffling to bed. Maybe he hadn’t and Dick had moved him from the couch. He couldn’t really recall. He just knew he woke up to the sound of voices on the fire escape. Groggily Jason pulled himself from bed, heading toward the gravelly whisper. There was another voice, muffled like whomever it was was having trouble speaking. That voice came out in a bit of a whimper. 

“Dick?” Jason called rubbing sleep from his eyes as he approached the window. 

There was a short grunt, an actual whimper and then Dick stuck his head in the window. He climbed through slowly. 

“Oh, hey little wing,” he said, attempting to keep his voice cheerful.

“You need some air or something?” he asked, walking up to him.

“Yeah couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you,” he said smiling softly. 

As soon as Jason saw the marks on Dick’s jaw he knew he was lying. “Was he here?” he asked, his own jaw setting in anger. 

“He just wanted to talk. He got worried when I wasn’t at my apartment and didn’t show up for patrol,” Dick said, quick to defend Bruce’s actions.

“Bullshit,” Jason grumbled. He wiped his hand down his face. “Fine. Whatever Dick. C’mon. Let’s go back to bed.” 

“You’re angry with me. I should go.” 

“I’m not angry with you Dickiebird. Never with you,” Jason said, taking his hand. “C’mon. Let’s go back to bed. It’s like three am.”

Dick let himself be led. “Alright but I have to leave first thing in the morning.”

“If you must,” Jason said pulling him down into the bed and cuddling him close. He kissed Dick’s forehead, holding them chest to chest. “But you’re always welcome here Dick. You’re safe here.” 

“I know Jason and once I’ll be back as soon as I can be,” he promised, nuzzling against Jason’s bare chest. 

“Hold you to it Dickie.” 

Jason woke the next morning to an empty bed, a goodbye note, and a promise to return as soon as he could.


	2. Words Like Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick returns and Jason isn't happy with what he sees. Will Dick Finally tell the truth or will he continue to try and excuse Bruce's behavior?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the ages of Tim and Damian in this just a tiny bit. In here, Tim is sixteen and still Robin because Damian is only seven. He's been with Bruce for the last four years since Jason came back from Talia. Jason had left the information for Bruce to find, figuring Bruce would be better than Talia. I'm sure he marginally regrets that now. 
> 
> Dick and Damian are quite close because Dick lived at the manor when Bruce first brought the little guy home and Dick did most of his raising so Damian is much more cuddly and affectionate in this than he actually is in the comics.

It was three days before Dick showed back up, knocking lightly on Jason’s window just after patrols for the night would have ended. Jason had been blowing up Dick’s phone and was about ready to storm up to the manor to find him. Upon hearing the knocking Jason rushed to the window and threw it open. He had to suck in air through his teeth to keep from shouting about how rough Dick looked. The older male’s hair was greasy and disheveled. He looked tired and he had a black eye and healing busted lip. Both facial injuries had to be a couple days old by the looks of it.

“Hey Jaybird,” Dick said weakly. “You won’t believe the night I had.”

Jason bit his tongue, helping Dick inside. He noticed that he was walking a little stiffly and could only guess at what was hiding under his clothing. “You’re really going to try that with me?” he huffed out. “Dick you’ve been gone for almost four days! I know you went to the manor. When are you going to quit attempting to lie to me and start telling me what’s going on?”

Dick looked away as Jason stalked into the kitchen. He came back with an ice pack, pressing it to Dick’s face. Dick kept quiet for a moment. Dick wasn’t even dressed as Nightwing. He was just wearing jeans, a tshirt, and a jacket. The acrobat stood in the middle of the living room while Jason closed the window and shut the blinds and curtains. He didn’t want to risk Bruce looking in on them. He’d already checked the place for bugs a million times because he knew that Bruce was a nosy intrusive prick. He never put anything past the bat, especially now that he learned what was going on with Dick.

“I’ll get you a bath started,” Jason said heading toward his bathroom. He could hear Dick shuffling along behind him. Jason wanted to help but until Dick quit playing dumb and opened up, he felt like his hands were tied. Sure, he could go and put a bullet in Bruce’s head right now and he’d love the excuse but he knew he needed the whole story.

“Jay… I’m sor-“

“Don’t. Don’t you apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong here Dick,” Jason said starting the water. “Just get naked so you can get cleaned up.”

The usually talkative vigilante just heaved a sigh and obeyed quietly. Jason watched the clothing fall from tanned skin and flinched. Dick was _covered_ in bite marks, scratches, and it looked like he had roper burns on his arms and wrists. There were handprint bruises on his thighs, like they’d been forced apart. Jason sucked in some air again, looking away and clenching his fists so that he didn’t do something stupid. He had to keep a level head for Dick. He knew anger wouldn’t do anything to encourage him to open up. The shame that Dick had in his eyes tore right through Jason’s chest. Dick had nothing to be ashamed of. This wasn’t his fault.

“Get cleaned up,” Jason said proud of how gentle his voice sounded. He started to go out of the bathroom but he felt a tug at the hem of his shirt.

“Please stay,” Dick said softly. You don’t have to talk to me or look at me but… please.”

Jason smiled a little. Sometimes he could forget how Dick always craved affection and having people around him. It was one of his favorite things about Dick. It was also rubbing off on the youngest of the bat boys, Damian. The kid was still a little bristly with Bruce and sometimes Jason, he was practically glued to Dick’s hip whenever the eldest was around.

“Of course Dickie,” he said sitting down on the edge of the tub.

Dick was quiet as he cleaned up, washing his body aggressively and massaging shampoo through his hair a couple times. After he cleaned up he leaned his head against Jason’s hip. There was heartbeat or two of silence before Dick completely broke down and started to sob. It was such a heartbreaking sound to come from someone usually so cheerful. Jason didn’t really have to think. He just slid into the tub, clothes and all, behind Dick and pulled him close.

“I know,” Jason said softly. “I know Dickie.”

“I’m sorry Jay,” Dick choked out between sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

“Never be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. He buried his face in Dick’s hair.

“I-I-I should be…. It’s all m-m-m-my f-f-f-fault,” he stammered, shoulder’s shaking. “A-A-A-And I keep tr-tr-trying to lie to you.”

“Nothing is your fault beautiful. Don’t blame yourself.”

“It’s my fault you’re mad,” he hiccupped out.

“I’m not mad at you Dickiebird,” Jason attempted to soothe.

“At me. At him. Doesn’t matter. It’s still my fault.”

“How is any of this your fault?!”

Dick flinched when Jason raised his voice, instantly making the younger regret it. Anything that Dick tried to say for the next couple minutes came out in silence. He sucked in a few breaths trying to get himself together. Jason simply held him, tucking his face into Dick’s neck, and tried to soothe him.

“Shit. I’m sorry,” he said softly, kissing the side of his head. “I didn’t mean to shout. None of this is your fault Dick. You’re a victim of mind games.”

“But I let it happen.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault,” Jason said. “You are the victim. Bruce is the one to blame here. Not you. Never you.”

Dick didn’t seem to buy it but nodded all the same. They sat there for another minute or two before the wet jeans got uncomfortable for Jason and he noticed that Dick was looking a little wrinkly. Jason got out and offered Dick a towel before stripping himself down and drying off. They were quiet as they dressed in fresh pjs. Jason sat on the bed, trying to decide what to do from here. Sure, he could put a cap in Bruce but Dick had a point the last time they argued about this. The entire Justice league would be in his face about it. It would be a small price to pay but he didn’t want to be taken from Dick. Not when the elder clearly needed him still. He’d also get nowhere in defense of himself with Dick refusing to open up.

“If you’ll be smart I’ll tell you everything,” Dick said suddenly.

Jason looked up at him. “I mean… I only have my GED so I can’t make any promises.”

Dick huffed at him. “I’m serious Jason. I can’t… I can’t lose you again. If you act stupid he’ll kill you again and I can’t take that.” Dick looked ready to cry again.

Jason barked out a laugh. “Ha! He thinks he can kill me?” He was almost offended that Dick thought Bruce could kill him so easily.

“Who do you think set you up with the Joker?” Dick asked quietly.

Everything went a little sideways for Jason at that revelation. Wait. _What?_ Bruce had set him up? Let him be murdered by that maniac?! There were so many thoughts rushing through his mind that he couldn’t pick out which train of thought or emotion to follow. He faintly realized that he was breathing hard until he felt Dick’s hands on his face, stroking his cheeks.

“Shh. Jaybird listen to me,” Dick said pressing their foreheads together. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was my fault… He found out I was planning to take you and run away… I wanted you to be safe and he found out and he set you up… I’m so sorry.”

Briefly Jason pushed him away, surging to his feet. He had to get a grip. His head had to stop swirling so he could think. Dick grabbed him again to stop him from running off in his panic. He pressed his chest to Jason’s back, taking slow even breaths.

“Breathe Jay. You have to breathe. C’mon. In through your nose. Out through your mouth,” he said. “With me.”

Jason breathed like Dick told him to, matching his breaths with Dick’s. “He… I…” He shook his head trying to clear it to decide what he was going to say. “I was willing to give my life for that prick!”

“I know babe I know,” Dick said moving to stand in front of him. He cupped Jason’s face in his hands and stroked his thumbs over his cheeks. “And I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you as soon as you came back but I…”

“He’s dead Rich. He just doesn’t know it yet,” Jason growled out.

“We have to be smart about this Jason,” Dick said shaking his head and letting his hands fall away. “He’s going to say that I consented and I’ll have to agree. If I don’t do what he says…” The other man’s voice fell away quietly and he shook his head. Dick squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t have another casualty on my head. He’s already furious I’m coming here and letting you touch me. He doesn’t like to share.”

“You’re not a possession,” Jason said in a deep growl. He pulled Dick into his arms, tucking his face into his neck once again. “What do I do then Dick?”

“Just go on like it’s not happening. That’s the only way to keep everyone safe. Gotham police is corrupt and it would be nothing for Bruce to buy his way out of an investigation. He’s Batman. He’s also got Tim and Dami up at the manor.”

It hit Jason like a gut punch when he realized that the other two boys were used as leverage to keep Dick in line. Even as much as Jason liked to believe he was untouchable he still got to Dick that night on the fire escape.

“He shouldn’t get away with this,” Jason said. If there was one thing he hated, it was a rapist and a molester. This had clearly been going on for a long time and that probably meant that Dick had been suffering with this since he was a child and that just made Jason angrier. “He claims to love this city and want to purge this place of criminals and then he does this?”

“He does love Gotham,” Dick said letting his hands fall away from Jason’s face. “And he cares for me in his own way.” A slight shiver ran down Dick’s spine. “And I’m just bad at listening so I get punished.”

“Punished?!” Jason snapped, looking at Dick with wide eyes. “This isn’t a fucking kink, Dick! What Bruce is doing to you is wrong! You shouldn’t have to put up with this!”

“If it keeps you and the other two safe it’s worth it,” he said looking away. “I never wanted you to find out.”

“I needed to know so I could figure out how to put a stop to it,” Jason countered, pulling Dick into his arms again. “I’m going to protect you Dick. I can’t let him keep doing this to you.”

“It’s fine. Like I said, this has been my life since I was nine years old.”

Just the thought of that made Jason’s skin crawl. “Well we’re going to change that. We’ll figure it out and no one is going to get hurt except him. The boys will be safe too. We’ll make sure of it.”

“What do you recommend? He’ll kill you again or Tim or Damian.”

Jason sighed. Getting to Tim would be a little difficult. He did have Connor who was constantly listening out for him. All Tim had to do was whisper the Kryptonian’s name and he’d be there in a flash. Damian was easy pickings in comparison to rest of them. He was freshly seven years old and very trusting of Bruce. Of course, he was. That was his father after all. The boy could fight but he’d be no match for the bat.

“Well, if he kills me he’s going to go down with me and you won’t have to worry about him laying another hand on you.”

Dick’s expression shifted so quickly Jason barely had time to process it. He looked angry at first but then it shifted to scared and heartbroken as he started to speak. “Don’t you ever say that again Jason Peter Todd. I lost you once and it was all my fault. I can’t… I can’t lose you again.”

“Whoa, hey,” Jason said softly, pulling the shorter man into his arms. He buried his nose in Dick’s dark hair. “Shh. I’m here. I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Dick gripped his shirt tighter, shaking slightly. “Please I can’t… I can’t lose you. I’d die if I lost you again,” he said in a half sob.

“I’ve got you babe. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t leave me please.”

Damn if Jason’s heart didn’t audibly break at Dick begging him not to go. Yeah. He was going to have to figure out how to take Bruce down and live to tell the tale. “I’m never going to leave you Dickiebird. You’re stuck with me forever.” He pressed a kiss to his head. “I love you okay?”

“I love you too,” Dick mumbled out, his face still buried in Jason’s chest. “Can we go lay down? I’m sore and I’m so damn tired.”

“Whatever you want Dickiebird,” Jason said scooping him up into his arms. He carried him into the bed.

The curled up together. Dick was out in seconds. God only knew if he’d gotten any sleep over the last few days. Jason on the other hand, couldn’t sleep at all. He had too much on his mind. He had to keep Dick safe and the younger boys too since it was apparent that Bruce was using them against Dick. The older Robin clung to him the whole night, twitching and whining off and on in his sleep.

Yeah. Jason would have to figure out how to end this soon.


	3. Facing the Boogeyman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick has just gotten back from being gone for four days, most likely with Bruce. Jason struggles to figure out what to do next and Bruce decides to try and scare Jason and Dick into obeying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter gets a little graphic guys! Just a heads up this does contain a rape scene. You've been warned!

Jason was up the entire night, watching out of the scope of his sniper rifle off and on. Batman must have passed by his apartment ten times. It took a lot for Jason to not pull the trigger every time he had Bruce in his sights. It was nothing short of a miracle that he didn’t. He kept glancing over at Dick. 

The older boy always seemed to alternate between being the world’s heaviest sleeper and being woken by feathers doing sign language down the block. Jason knew he probably hadn’t had any sleep while he was away and was glad the older boy was resting. He almost looked peaceful as he slept, dark locks falling over lightly tanned skin. Jason liked to think that Dick felt safe enough to sleep this hard because Jason was around, which would also explain why Dick never seemed to sleep well at the manor. 

Jason had just made himself some tea and returned to the bedroom when he noticed Dick starting to wake. It was nearly seven in the morning, which for a caped crusader it was like the middle of the night. Still, they’d gone to sleep quite early the previous night. 

“Good morning blue eyes,” Jason said, sitting down on the bed next to Dick. He gingerly ran his fingers through Dick’s hair, smiling a little when his eyes cracked open.

“Morning Jaybird,” he said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and stretched out, looking up at Jason. “Did you sleep at all?” His eyes glanced around the room and fell on the sniper rifle, still set up to look out the window. 

“I was just watching, Dick. I couldn’t sleep so I kept a look out. He passed by my apartment like ten times last night. That’s stalking. I would be defending myself.” 

“You know the league won’t see it that way,” Dick sighed. “I just don’t want to lose you again. No matter how much the league likes me they’ll always believe Bruce over us. He’s Batman after all.” 

Jason groaned. “And all of them can choke. We have to figure something out Dick,” he said just as the window shattered. 

Things slowed before Jason’s eyes. A bat bomb settled into the middle of the room. He dove for Dick as it erupted, spilling knock out gas into the room. Dick seemed to freeze almost immediately despite Jason trying to pull him out of the room. He didn’t even make it to the door before he fell over hard, Dick joining suit. The last thing he saw was the smoke hazed form of Dick laying next to him, staring at Jason with wide, tear-filled blue eyes. 

“Jason! Jay please wake up!” 

Jason was groggy as he lifted his head up. It took a couple moments for him to process the words coming at him. Blinking slowly, he noted Dick, sitting right in front of him, cradling his face in his hands. He didn’t look hurt. 

“Dickiebird?” he mumbled. 

Dick looked ready to cry in relief. “There’s those eyes I love so much,” he said, sounding just as relieved as he looked. He pressed their heads together. “I was starting to worry you wouldn’t wake up little wing.” 

“I’m okay,” Jason promised, trying to shift only to realize he was chained by his wrist to the wall. That explained why his shoulders were aching. Dick however wasn’t chained at all. “Where are we?” 

“I don’t know. Still in Gotham at least. I don’t feel like we were out for very long,” Dick said. 

“I’ll get us out of here Dick,” Jason promised.

“Oh I highly doubt that Jason,” Bruce said walking in. He dressed in one of his fancy suits and wearing a grin that made Jason’s stomach twist into knots. “I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere for a long while.” 

Dick’s face went pale and he started to shake, trying to move closer to Jason for safety. “B-Bruce,” he stammered, petrified. 

“Well if it isn’t limp dick,” Jason scoffed, glaring at Bruce while trying to move to let Dick hide between him and the wall. It wasn’t working very well. 

“Ah ah ah,” Bruce said waving his finger. “I would watch your mouth if I were you. You don’t want Dickie to get into trouble for it do you?” 

“Touch him and I’ll kill you,” he growled. “You wanna take out your twisted ass fantasies on someone? Pick on someone your own size then.” 

Bruce seemed amused at Jason’s words which was really serving to piss the Red Hood off. “You won’t kill me,” he said confidently. “Dickie wouldn’t like that. Would you, Dick?” 

Dick didn’t answer, trying to huddle against Jason and curl around himself at the same time, shaking still. In a flash, Bruce had grabbed Dick up by the shirt and jerked him to his feet. Bruce’s hulking six-foot two-inch (out of the bat suit) body towered over Dick’s five-foot ten-inch slender frame. He had Dick on his tippy toes but not quite off of the ground yet. Jason jerked the chains a bit, heart rate picking up. 

“Answer me!” he snarled in Dick’s face. 

“N-No,” the acrobat responded in a whimper. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, sir.” 

“Back off!” Jason shouted, pulling at the chains again.

His objections fell on deaf ears though as Bruce pulled Dick into a bruising kiss, causing the shorter man to whimper when he tried to pull away. Bruce growled harshly in response reducing Dick to a state of shaking compliance and Bruce kissed and bit at his lips. He shoved the younger away, down hard on his ass, before turning to look at Jason. How badly Jason wanted to wipe that arrogant ass smirk off of his face. 

Bruce knelt down in front of him, resting on the balls of his feet. “Now, what did my naughty little boy tell you Jason?” he asked, his tone condescending and voice raised an octave like he was talking to a child. 

Jason ground his teeth together but kept his look flat to hide the building rage. Green was beginning to seep into his vision and he knew that he had to keep a lid on it or he risked hurting Dick. “HE didn’t have to tell me anything for me to know you have a tiny dick,” he said dryly.

Bruce rolled his eyes, unamused. “Why he’s been working so hard all these years to keep you safe I’ll never know,” he muttered. “You know, I originally got you to be a companion for him. Maybe use you myself but let’s face it. No one will ever compare to Dick. Then you were mouthy and impossible to control, took all the fun right out of it.” 

“Go choke on your dad’s dick,” Jason spat, the disgust he felt only growing. 

The man narrowed his eyes and slapped Jason as hard as he could across the face, making Jason’s head snap to the side. He heard Dick cry out at the slap but he didn’t seem to move when Jason looked back. He wouldn’t admit that his eyes were stinging a bit with reflexive tears. Bruce was strong after all.

“I gave you everything you ever asked for,” Jason said through grit teeth. The green was starting to flood his vision. He took a few heavy breaths to try and ward it away. He spit a mouthful of blood into Bruce’s face. “So. Fuck. You.” 

With a surprising amount of calm Bruce wiped his face off. “Never gave me your ass. Not that I particularly want it but I wonder what’s so special about you that has Dick crawling back to you after I’m done with him,” he said. He stood and went back over to Dick who hadn’t budged. Rather, the first Robin had watched horrified. “Now, what did you tell him?”

Jason could see the fear in Dick’s eyes but he couldn’t stop the surge of pride that coursed through him when Dick steeled his face and tried to look brave. Dick clenched his jaw and spoke clearly, “Everything. How you started sexually abusing me when I was nine. How you used him and the other boys against me. How you set him up to be killed!” 

The pride that Jason felt quickly vanished as he heard Dick speak. He was goading Bruce and it was working if the rage behind the man’s eyes was anything to go by. 

“Dick stop!” Jason ordered. “Don’t get yourself hurt.” 

Bruce glared at Dick evenly. “You realize that you’re going to have to make up for this right?” His voice took that sickening tone again and Jason suddenly didn’t like where this was going. “I should kill him now that he knows so he doesn’t tell anyone else.” 

“N-No please,” Dick begged. “He won’t tell anyone. He already agreed to keep it quiet.” 

“Oh he did? Then how about we show him what will happen if he doesn’t keep his mouth shut, hm?” Bruce hummed, tilting Dick’s chin to look up at him. 

Dick’s eyes widened with realization just a second before Bruce pulled him standing. He turned Dick to face Jason, pull the shorter man against his chest. Bruce roughly groped Dick through the sweat pants he was wearing making him squirm and whine.

“Get your fucking hands off of him!” Jason snarled, struggling against the chains again. He could swear that he felt them give.

Bruce gave him a dark smirk, pushing down Dick’s pants and boxers. He pulled Dick’s shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Jason felt sick, body going numb as he watched Bruce make eye contact with him as he pushed into Dick with no warning. Dick gave a half sob of pain but it was cut off, probably for fear of punishment. For a horrified few moments all Jason could do was stare, boggle eyed. The image seared into his brain and his stomach churned again. He was going to puke if he didn’t do anything. 

“Bruce I swear to fucking god I’m going to rip your goddamn head off!” Jason snarled, struggling against the chains once again.

“What?” Bruce asked, trying to feign innocence. “Don’t like the show? Dickie loves it. Don’t you, Dickie?” He reached up and grabbed Dick by the hair to make him look over at Jason but Dick couldn’t meet Jason’s eyes. 

“Y-Yes sir,” he stammered out in a small voice, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Bruce’s face twisted into a look of sick satisfaction. “Tell him you me fucking you more than him.” He bit down on Dick’s neck hard when he refused to speak right away. He slammed into him hard enough to make Dick let another half sob escape. “Do it.” 

Dick sniffled. “I… I like when Bruce…” He shook his head which just earned a hard smack on his ask, making Dick yelp. “I like it when Bruce… f-fucks me more than when you do it.” 

Bruce had Dick well trained it seemed. Despite knowing that Dick was forced into saying it, it still hurt to hear. Mostly because Dick was in such pain when he said it. The only man he’d ever loved was being violated right in front of him and he was helpless. He promised Dick that he’d keep him safe. Now he just felt weak and limp.

“That’s a good boy,” Bruce praised with a dark chuckle, watching Jason break. “Look at that Dickie. He doesn’t want you anymore. Didn’t I say that would happen? No one will ever want you the way I want you. Only I will ever love you no matter what.” He wrapped a hand around Dick’s throat. 

Dick’s eyes flew open wide in shock. Clearly Bruce didn’t choke him often or at all because he let out a strangled gasp when Bruce’s hand squeezed tightly around his windpipe. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Jason went on high alert and adrenaline surged through his body. With an amazing show of strength and acrobatics he maneuvered to place his feet on the wall behind him and jerked, ripping the chain from the wall. He spun around to face Bruce who was now on the defensive, still buried in Dick.

“One move and I’ll snap his neck,” he warned.

“Take it out on me. Leave him alone,” Jason snarled, trying to figure out how he could get Dick away from Bruce before he could be hurt.

“Taking it on you would hurt him and I never want to hurt him,” Bruce said. 

“You’re hurting him now!” Jason shouted, seeing Dick turning deep red from lack of oxygen. “Please let him go! I’m begging you Bruce! You’re going to kill him!” 

That seemed to be the magic word because Bruce let him go, pulling himself free of Dick. The first Robin collapsed to the floor, gasping so hard he sounded like he was going to make himself sick. Bruce cleared the space between himself and Jason in less than a second. He grabbed Jason up by the throat, slamming him into the wall. 

“How dare you accuse me of hurting him!” he snarled so angry that he was almost unintelligible. 

Despite being half choked himself he couldn’t help the relief washing over him. He’d let Dick go and he could hear him breathing. Well, he was gasping and cough for air but at least he was breathing. 

“That’s right. Take it out on me Bruce,” he said, staring at his former mentor. This close he could see how unhinged Bruce was becoming. Bruce was a control freak and he was losing control. Nothing would be worse for the Batman.

Bruce growled, punching him in the face and throwing him on the floor. Further proving Jason’s belief that was teetering on the edge of insanity Bruce straightened his suit and all the rage melted from his face. He scoffed a bit looking at Dick after checking the time. 

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he told Dick. “Then you’re going to go through some retraining while I figure out what to do with him. Look at all this work I have to do now because of you. All this extra work because of you. You’ll have to work extra hard to make up for this mess Dickie.” 

Dick attempted to rasp something out but it was too hoarse and quiet to be understood at first. He kept his head down and finally managed to get out a whimper of, “yes sir.” 

Bruce made a noise in the back of his throat of disapproval before stepping over Dick’s naked form and leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jason gathered Dick’s clothes up and helped him dress. “Shh. I’m here Dick. I’m here,” he said gathering him into his arms to hold him until he calmed down. “We gotta get out of here. I’m getting you out of here and some place safe. I… fuck… I’m so sorry Dick.” He rocked them a little bit, kissing his head. 

Dick cried for a long time, not that Jason could blame him. He couldn’t imagine the emotions swirling in Dick’s head. Did he feel embarrassed over that happening in front of Jason? Or was the horror of it happening destroying any embarrassment he could have felt? After Dick’s sobs died down, Jason shifted to look at him. 

“Think you can walk?” he asked. Bruce had trained them to ignore pain pretty well but that didn’t mean they always could.

Dick swallowed and nodded. “Y-Yeah,” he said his voice was gravelly and rough from the choking and the tears. “But we can’t leave. He’ll get mad.” 

“I don’t give a fuck. This is ending,” Jason said standing. “I can’t… you can’t want to just stay here and let this keep happening…” 

“Of course not,” Dick said shaking his head. 

“Then we’re getting out of here. We’ll leave here and go straight to the manor. We’ll get Tim and Damian so he can’t and we’ll… I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Is there any type of physical evidence of what he’s done? Pictures? Video?” 

“On the bat computer,” he said. “The surveillance cameras and stuff… he likes having a record.” 

That made Jason’s stomach twist again. He was glad he didn’t have anything to throw up or he would have puked so many times today. “Then we’ll get that and send it to the league. Tim could pull it. He can get anything off a computer.” For once he was glad the younger robin was a computer geek. “We’ll have to be fast. He’s going to know when we leave.” 

“How do you know that?” Dick asked. 

Jason turned the knob on the door and pushed it open. “He didn’t lock the door,” he said getting Dick up. “Means he is expecting us to walk right out or he’s overconfident that you’re broken enough to stay here. C’mon.” Bruce wasn’t one to get that cocky but given that Bruce was clearly in a spiral downward it was hard to tell. He helped Dick up and left, surprised to find they were just in a warehouse in the rundown industrial side of Gotham. Not terribly far from his apartment and his motorcycle. Good. Now all they had to do was get to the boys and figure this mess out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated. They keep me motivated to write. I've gotten such good feedback from this story and I'm so grateful for it all!
> 
> You'll get to see Tim and Damian in the next chapter. Would anyone like a short about what Dick was doing those four days he was missing? Obviously he was with Bruce those four days and went through hell. 
> 
> If you could have anything take place in this universe what would it be? I'm open for prompts!


	4. Wish We Could Have Said Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time to confront Bruce has arrived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I'm sorry guys. This chapter was super hard for me to put together and I lost a lot of confidence in the direction that I was wanting to go. I'm still not super satisfied with it but I needed to write it so that I could get on with the rest of the story. 
> 
> On top of that my family and I just moved and moving with a baby is a damn nightmare. 0/10 do not recommend. But the new place is working out for us so maybe I'll be able to get more up more quickly. I tried to make this chapter a little longer to make up for my absence. 
> 
> ALSO, I know that Jason technically was killed out in the desert (if I recall the comics correctly it has been a long time) but I had him moved to being killed in a warehouse in Gotham to fit with the story better. We do get to see Alfred, Tim, and little Damian in this chapter though! And at last the question is answered: What did Alfred know?

They hiked back to Jason’s apartment quietly. Dick was still shaking though Jason doubted it was from the cold. He could see something steadily creeping up into Dick’s eyes and it worried him. It wasn’t the same type of manic that Bruce had or the broken devastation that had been there after Bruce hurt him again. It was something different, settling in the ocean of blue and making them dull and flat. It scared Jason a little but he didn’t have time to dwell on it for too long. They had to find where the boys were.   
Upon arriving at his apartment, they pulled on real clothes. Jason grabbed a gun, determined to shoot Bruce right in the teeth the moment he laid eyes on him. Dick remained unsettlingly silent. 

“Do you know where the boys will be?” Jason asked him finally as he laced his boots. 

“Uh. The manor probably,” he said looking at his phone. “They’re probably still asleep honestly. Tim didn’t say anything about going out of town to see Connor in Metropolis so… God what if he hurts them? Damian is six Jay! Six!” 

Leave it to Dick to be more concerned about everyone else. To be fair, Dick was practically Damian’s father. He’d shown up to the manor while Jason was still thought to be dead, only about eighteen months old. Jason knew that Dick had done most of the raising of the boy with the help of Alfred as Bruce wasn’t exactly father material. While Damian was a little uptight sometimes, he was cuddly and very attached to Dick. It was cute how jealously Damian guarded Dick’s attention and affection. 

“We’ll save them bluebird,” Jason promised, hugging him tightly. “We won’t let him hurt Damian or Tim. I promise. C’mon. Let’s get to the manor.” 

“What are we doing when we get there? We need a plan.” 

“Right now, the plan is grab the boys and get out. I’ll take you all to a safe house or something,” he said running his fingers through his hair. They didn’t have time to formulate much of a plan. “Maybe get Connor to come grab Tim for at least the weekend. Maybe we’ll figure something out between then and now.” That might get Superman involved and as much of a fan as Clark wasn’t of Jason he cared for the younger boys immensely. If all Clark would do was keep Tim and Damian and Dick (if he could convince him to stay) safe with him that would help Jason. It would give him time to hunt Bruce down and eviscerate him. 

Dick swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yeah. Okay,” he said. He rubbed his eyes a little as if trying to gather himself. 

Jason couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to comfort him, cupping his cheek. “He’s not going to hurt you again Dick. I won’t let him. Let’s go.” He pressed a kiss to Dick’s forehead as they left quickly.

They took Jason’s bike to the manor. The whole way Jason ran a million scenarios in his head. He’d been trained by Bruce after all to expect every possibility. A few images his brain conjured up were too much for him to stomach dwelling on. At worst he hoped they’d just have to face Bruce right then and there. They parked in the front and Dick scrambled off the bike before Jason could even put the kickstand down. Luckily Jason was able to catch him quickly and they both burst through the large doors together. 

“Tim! Damian!” Dick called, his voice was a bit desperate and it made Jason’s heart clench. But not nearly as much as the silence that followed did. “Boys!” Still nothing. 

“Master Richard? Master Jason?” Alfred asked coming around the corner looking mildly confused by the panic. “What is the matter?” 

“Alfred!” Dick said rushing over to him. He grabbed the butler by the shoulders. “Where are the boys? Where’s Bruce?” 

Alfred looked surprised, which in of itself was a surprise. Nothing ever threw Alfred off balance. “Master Bruce took the boys out,” he said. “He didn’t say where he was going. Just that the meeting he had was cancelled and he thought he’d take the boys out. What happened to your neck Master Richard?” 

“Bruce damn near strangled him to death,” Jason said which earned a wide eyed stare from Alfred, his face quickly crumpling.

There was never any doubt that Alfred loved Dick or any of the Robins for that matter. The old butler was always taking care of them and Jason didn’t know what he would have thought if Alfred had known about the abuse and let it happen. The look on Alfred’s face made it painfully clear that he didn’t know about it and somehow felt responsible for being allowed to continue. Part of Jason wanted to assure the man that it wasn’t his fault but they had bigger fish to fry at the moment. 

Dick’s face contorted into an expression of pure mortification at the thought of the unhinged Bruce being gone with the younger boys. Jason’s heart was starting to hammer. Bruce took the boys somewhere. God only knew where and Jason’s mind once again presented the worst of the worst-case scenarios about Bruce’s plans with them. While Tim was pretty well skilled and Damian had received some training, neither were really a match for Bruce. Even together. 

“What car did he take?” 

“The tumbler,” Alfred answered, gathering himself enough to focus on the task at hand. That military training came in hand more often than not in their family. “What’s going on?”   
“We’ll explain later,” Dick said running for the cave. “They’re not safe with Bruce!” 

Alfred shouted some sort of question as Jason dashed after Dick. Dick was quick and used his acrobatic abilities to make it to the bottom of the stairs and to the computer to pull Bruce’s location from the lowjack on the car. He was already typing away at the keys by the time Jason arrived with Alfred following behind him. 

“Goddammit!” Dick yelled, kicking at the keyboard. “He’s locked me out!” Dick turned to look at Jason and Alfred panic rising in his eyes. For a second it looked like Dick was going to have a panic attack so Jason quickly stepped up to try and calm him. 

Alfred used the chance to login to the computer and Jason felt himself breathe when he realized that Alfred wasn’t locked out like Dick had been. Bruce had to have an alert that they were trying to track him because a video call came up on the computer. Jason quickly answered. 

“Where’s Tim and Damian?!” Jason demanded. 

“Safe. For now,” Bruce responded. He sighed seeing Alfred there. “I had hoped you’d listen Dickie. You’ve gotten Alfred involved now. I’m disappointed. I would have liked to let him live.” 

Dick’s face morphed into a look of terror. “P-Please Bruce. I’ll do anything. Please don’t don’t hurt anyone else. I’m begging you. Please.” The pleading desperation in Dick’s voice was hard to listen to. Tears were forming in the older male’s eyes trying to garner whatever good will he could from the monster on the screen. Jason held his breath as he waited for Bruce to respond. 

Bruce mulled it over, eyeing Dick with an increasingly familiar hungry look on his face. He scanned Dick like he was a piece of meat. “Fine Dickie. You want them back-“   
“Alive,” Jason interrupted. “And unharmed.” 

Bruce scoffed but continued after rolling his eyes. “You want the boys back, I’ll give you a trade. You know where to meet me. Be here within the hour.” He ended the call.   
Jason looked where the lowjack was pinging and his stomach dropped. He recognized the location and he was sure that Alfred and Dick did too. He couldn’t tell if Bruce was being dramatic by going to where the Joker beat him to death or if he was simply trying to be cruel. He swallowed. 

“You don’t have to go,” Dick said his eyes taking that hollow dead look once again. “I can go get the boys.” 

“No,” Jason said swallowing back whatever terror and anxiety was building up inside his body. He gave his head a couple of quick shakes trying to clear his mind. He was going to have to keep it together so they could save Tim and Damian. He wasn’t going to let Bruce take anyone else. He wasn’t going to let him hurt Dick again. “No. I’m going. You’re not going to be around him again alone.” 

Dick nodded, knowing they didn’t have time to waste talking about it. 

“Master Richard I am so sorry,” Alfred said, tears building in his eyes. Dick was quick to hug him. “I have failed you. I should have known.” 

“No. It’s not your fault,” Dick promised. “Bruce was so careful and I was scared.” 

“Not to sound like a giant asshole but there will be plenty of time for crying and hugs once we get the boys away from that psychopath and we have less than hour to be all the way across Gotham in the peak of rush hour traffic,” Jason told Dick. “Be prepared for incoming just in case Alfred. If anything they’re going to need some comfort after all this.” Who knew what Bruce had done or said to them. He couldn’t get the image of Damian’s frightened face out of his head. Tim was a full-fledged Robin and would be able to keep himself together until they got to safety but Damian… no. Damian was just a little guy. 

Running outside the two eldest Robins jumped back onto Jason’s bike and sped off. Jason just hoped they’d made it in time and Bruce hadn’t hurt them yet. 

Jason drove more than recklessly to get them to the industrial side of Gotham, having to take alleys and sidewalks. Luckily it was Gotham so it wasn’t like he had to worry about the police pulling him over. Upon arriving Jason parked next to the batmobile. The nerves of being back near the place he died were setting in and he realized that his hands were shaking. It was surreal being near the abandoned warehouse again. Jason couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around being in the spot where he was murdered again. Dick climbed off the back and looked over at him. 

“Jay you can stay out here,” he said again but Jason quickly shook his head. 

“No. I am going in. You’re not facing him alone,” Jason said. “We’re going to grab the boys and bolt.” 

“You let me handle Bruce. Just worry about getting them out and into the batmobile,” Dick corrected. “He wants me and I’ll be the best distraction. I’m not going to let him hurt you guys.” 

Jason opened his mouth to object. He wanted to. He didn’t like the plan. He didn’t like using Dick as bait and there was a certain… tone in how Dick said things that made Jason’s stomach churn with nerves. Still, Dick had a point. Bruce would never fall for Jason trying to distract him while Dick got the boys out. They didn’t have time to argue or come up with a better plan either. Jason clicked his mouth shut and nodded. 

“Alright. Just… promise you’ll get yourself out and fight back if he tries to hurt you,” Jason begged. 

“I will,” Dick promised. There was that unsettling tone again. That dead eyed look that made Jason’s stomach twist. He knew Dick had a plan but he wouldn’t tell Jason and that made him more nervous. 

He practically trudged up to the entrance of the warehouse, pushing the door open. The only light came from the windows of the place so it was still a little dim as he peered inside his eyes instantly dragging over to where he heard what might have been crying. 

“Jason! Dick!” Damian called out, his voice cracking from fear and relief. He and Tim were tied up against a pillar. Tim was also gagged, most likely to prevent him from calling for Conner who could hear him no matter where he was in the world. Damian didn’t look hurt, maybe a bit disshelved but unharmed. Tim’s nose was bleeding and his shirt was a little ripped. It made Jason angry. The boys had trusted Bruce and he had betrayed them. 

Without a second thought Jason ran over to them. He pulled the gag off Tim’s mouth first. 

“What’s going on?” Tim asked while Jason worked on the ropes. 

“Long story. Very long,” Jason said. “Damian are you hurt?” 

Damian shook his head. “F-Father’s been ranting and raving the whole time. What’s going on with him?” he asked his voice small and shaking. 

Before Jason could answer there was a slap, followed by the unmistakable sound of a gun hitting the floor, and the sound of Dick once again being choked. Jason realized that Dick hadn’t run over with him to check the boys but instead went to face Bruce and at some point had stolen the gun he’d tucked into the back of his jeans. He looked over, blocking the boys with his body watching as Bruce easily lifted Dick off the ground with one hand. 

“We don’t use guns!” Bruce snarled. “Were you going to kill me boy?! We don’t kill!” 

“Father!” Damian pled earning a very nasty look from the man which had the boy gripping the back of Jason’s shirt. 

Dick tried to choke something out, gripping at Bruce’s wrist. 

“I’m free,” Tim mumbled quietly. 

“Damian run out to the car. Now. Don’t stop or look back,” Jason ordered rising to his feet. “Tim go with him. Keep him safe.” He rushed toward Bruce who dropped Dick just in time for Jason to spear him like a football player.

Both grunted as they hit the ground and grappled. Jason wasn’t nearly as tall as Bruce but he was broader and outweighed him by a few pounds. Both of them had been trained in multiple fighting styles and could be evenly matched given the right circumstance. They’d gone to battle before after all and it ended in a draw. These circumstances weren’t in Jason’s favor though. Even with his strength and skill Bruce got the upperhand because the man was fighting like an animal. He pulled a cheap shot to Jason’s groin and then his nose sending him to his back. He moved to overtake Jason something silver gleaming in his hand.

“Timmy no!” Dick shouted as the sixteen-year-old slammed into Bruce. He was small enough that he didn’t really do much more than stagger the batman and keep him from probably ending Jason’s life right there. 

Jason stumbled to his feet as Dick joined in the fight, mostly trying to keep Tim away from Bruce but that ended up being Tim’s downfall. A lunge from Bruce and Jason saw red from Tim’s ribs and a lot of it. 

“Tim!” came Damian’s voice making Jason look to see that Damian only got as far as the door before stopping to watch the fight in horrified silence. 

“C-Conner!” Tim stammered knowing he was in trouble now. 

“You son of a bitch!” Jason snarled at Bruce. As much as he wanted to go after Bruce again, he rushed to Tim’s side. He pulled Tim’s jacket off and pressed it to the wound.   
“Stop!” Dick pleaded, hands on Bruce’s chest. Jason could hear the tears in his voice. “Please. Please stop. You promised not to hurt them. Please… I’ll do anything…” 

Bruce cupped his hand around the back of Dick’s neck, a twisted grin forming on his face. “Anything?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a detonator and Jason’s heart dropped. “Then come with me. Now. You’ll never see them again and you will never leave me. Never again. You’ll be mine forever Dickie.” 

“Dick no-“ Jason began but Conner crashed through the wall at that time. 

Bruce hit the button. “You have ten seconds,” he said. 

“Father!” Damian cried out. 

Conner didn’t waste time with questions. “Hospital,” he said before taking off. Jason jumped to his feet and ran for Damian. He felt tears forming because he wanted to save Dick and he had failed. Now he was having to leave him in the hands of that monster to save the youngest of them all. He would never be forgiven if he didn’t nor would he ever forgive himself. He jerked Damian up into his arms and sprinted out the door. He was about halfway to the car when the building erupted. The explosion wasn’t major. Mostly enough to give Bruce time to escape. The batman thought of everything afterall. 

Jason spun to stare, hitting his knees and holding a very scared and sobbing Damian to his chest. He felt sick. Dick was gone. He didn’t know how long he sat there, the only sound the distant sirens and Damian’s sobbing before Superman arrived. Conner had ot have called him to come collect the last two robins. The man gently led Jason to the batmobile and put Damian in the back with Jason before driving toward the manor. 

Jason was stunned silent. He didn’t know life could fall apart so fast. Tim was hurt -possibly dying- and Dick was gone. In the hands of the monster that Jason swore to protect him from. Damian was traumatized and would probably never be the same. And all Jason could do for the longest was stare blankly and not actually see anything. They were half way to the manor before Jason gathered enough sense to start comforting Damian. 

“F-Father… he… and Tim and… Dick…” Damian stammered but words were steadily leaving him. 

“Bruce isn’t your father anymore,” Jason said softly, holding the boy close. “And I’ll get Dick back. Tim will be okay. I’m gonna take care of you from now on Damian. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it. I love comments but never expect them! It does make my day when I get feedback though. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season no matter what you celebrate. 
> 
> What do you think should happen next? Anything you want to see?


	5. Where Do We Go Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason rushes to the hospital after Tim was stabbed and tries to figure out how he's going to save Dick from Bruce's clutches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been really just stuck. Thank you for reading!

Jason walked into the hospital feeling like someone had attached bricks to his legs. By the time they’d made it to the manor Damian had basically shut down. The only reason Jason left the boy there was because Clark and Jon had agreed to stay there with him and Alfred. Jason needed to check on Tim. There had been so much blood. He didn’t know what would happen if Tim didn’t make it through all of this. 

He looked around the waiting room and found Conner pacing in the waiting room. He tried not to cringe when he saw the blood on the boy’s shirt and jeans. It couldn't be comfortable. He'd have to have Clark Conner some clothes or something later. “Hey Conner. How’s he doing? Any news?” 

The young Kryptonian looked up at Jason. “Y-Yeah. I’ve been listening to everything. He’s stable,” he said though he still sounded concerned. “I couldn’t understand the medical details. They’re going to let us back there in a minute. They’ve already taken him to a room to recover.” 

Jason nodded. “Thank you for getting him here so quick. What did you tell them?” 

“Mugging gone wrong. Everyone knows he’s Wayne’s adopted kid,” Conner said shrugging a little bit. “Seemed the most logical thing I could think of. I didn’t know how much of this you guys want to get out.” 

“At this point I’d rather keep it under wraps,” Jason said grateful all over again for Conner’s quick thinking. HE didn’t have time to say anything else before the doctor came out and called for Tim’s family. Jason was in front of the doctor in an instant. “Is he going to be okay? What’s the damage?” 

“He’s going to be okay,” the doctor said. “We’ll have to keep him a few days before we can let him go home. The knife pierced his spleen and it was so badly damaged that we had to remove it.” 

“Doesn’t he need that? What will that do to his body?” Conner asked with a concerned frown.

“Yes and no. A person can survive without a spleen but it does compromise your immune system to not have one,” the doctor explained. “We’ll keep him on some serious antibiotics for a little bit but he may be able to survive just fine without them after some time. It just depends on his specific case.” 

Jason sighed. Tim didn’t have a very good immune system to begin with. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that he seemed to survive off coffee and the occasional donut. Despite being a hero, Jason always saw Tim as slightly fragile in a lot of ways. He knew that Conner would be hovering, probably literally, for a long time. 

“He’s going to have to it easy for about four to six weeks. We don’t want him lifting anything heavy for at least a month. No physical activity. On bed rest for the first couple weeks minimum maybe longer depending on how he's healing up.” 

“Don’t worry. We’ll have him follow the rules,” Conner said. “Can we see him?” 

“Of course,” he said leading them back to Tim’s room. 

Jason had seen pretty much everyone in his family, minus Damian, in a hospital bed of some sort. He couldn’t say that made it easy to see Tim lying in the bed. He looked paler than ever and weak. He knew that there had to be a significant amount of blood loss from being stabbed and then the resulting surgery. They had Tim in a hospital gown since they probably had to cut his shirt off. Jason heard Conner’s breathing catch. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Jason promised patting the younger male’s shoulder. “He might look rough but he’s going to be okay. The doctor said so. Just focus on that.” 

“I’ll feel better when he wakes up and tells me that himself,” Conner said in a low tone as he moved to Tim’s side. He took his boyfriend’s hand and pressed a kiss to it. 

Jason could understand. He tried to focus on waiting for Tim to wake up and not let his mind drift to Dick. He tried to stop himself from thinking about the amount of pain he could be in and the danger Jason absolutely knew the former Robin was in, in Bruce’s hands with no one there to protect him. He felt sick as his mind chased the rabbit without consent. 

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, glaring down at the floor and agonizing over what was happening to Dick, before he heard a soft groan. Jason’s head snapped up and Conner leaned forward so he took up the majority of Tim’s line of vision. 

“Tim?” Conner breathed, a hand reaching up to stroke the hair out of Tim’s face. “Baby you awake?” 

Tim’s eyes opened; the usually bright blue of his irises dulled by the anesthetic used in the surgery. He seemed a bit confused and lost. “C-Conner?” he mumbled trying to sit up and rub his eyes. Tim never took well to waking up in unfamiliar places. It seemed like he was going to panic a little.

“Dim the lights down,” Conner said hurriedly which Jason was quick to act on, one hand on Tim's chest to keep him from moving too much. “There. It’s okay. You’re safe Tim. I’m here. You’re at Gotham Metro Hospital. Do you remember what happened?” 

“Y-Yeah… Bruce… and Dick…” he said his breathing still a little elevated but he seemed to be relaxing the more alert he became. 

Jason flinched a little bit. “Yeah they got away,” he said quietly. 

“Is Damian hurt?” Tim asked looking over at Jason though Jason could never tell if his little brother was actually looking at him in the eyes or not. Jason could easily imagine what was going on in his head. It was most likely extremely similar to what was going on in his own. 

“No. He’s not. He’s a bit shaken up and he wasn’t willing to talk to anyone when we got back to the manor but he’s not hurt that Alfred could tell,” Jason said. It had been a task to pry the boy off of Jason long enough to let the butler have a look and he was half certain the boy had a panic attack when Jason said he had to leave him behind to check on Tim. Thank whatever god existed for Jon Kent. He was the only other person that seemed capable of making Damian feel better at the moment.

There was a brief silence while Tim mulled over all the information. The younger Robin was clearly struggling to keep himself calm. Conner kept a good hold on his hand, trying to comfort his boyfriend. “It’s all my fault,” Tim announced weakly, his body going a little limp. He took a few more shuddering breaths to really get a grip over himself. It took a few minutes for him to be able to steel his face and sit up. “I’m sorry. What are we going to do? We have to get Dick back.” 

“Hey first off, it’s not your fault,” Jason corrected with a shake of his head. “None of this is your fault.” 

“If I wouldn’t have gotten stabbed then he wouldn’t have- “ 

“It is not your fault,” Jason interrupted in a firm tone. “Dick wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for him willingly choosing to go. He did it for all of us. Dick wouldn’t blame you and I won’t either.” He’d never blame Tim for this. Dick had gone willingly to keep everyone safe. If Jason had been strong enough to fight Bruce and take him down then Dick wouldn’t be in danger. Jason had been the one to make the promise that Dick would never be hurt by Bruce again and he failed. “Secondly, I’ll figure it out. We’ll get him back. You just worry about healing up and you’ve got a lot of it to do. They had to remove your spleen.” 

“You know me. I don’t do anything by halves,” he said looking down his gown to see the stitches. At least Tim was attempting his usual snark. “Asshole got me good, I guess. How long do I have to stay here?” 

“The doctor said a few days. I won’t be leaving your side,” Conner said. “I'll make sure you're safe until we can get you back to the manor. And you guys will have to fill me in on everything going on. Bruce has lost his mind?” 

“It’s a long story and I’m not sure we know the extent of everything,” Jason answered his voice ominous and grim. “But the short answer is yes. Bruce has lost his goddamn mind and Dick is in a lot of danger being with him unsupervised and in an unknown location. I… I’m going to go to the League for help. Call in some friends.” 

“Call the Titans too,” Tim said. “They’ll definitely help find him. Call in everyone Jason.” 

“I will Tim. You don’t worry about it okay? You’ve got about six weeks before you’ll be allowed to be up on your feet again,” he responded. “I’m going to call in everyone I ever met, alright? Anything to get him back in one piece.” 

Tim nodded but he seemed to want to argue about being down. He clearly knew he wouldn’t get far so he didn’t bother trying to. Conner wouldn’t budge nor would Jason. He’d be a liability in the field if he were to go out too soon. It wasn’t a typical injury after all. No one could just walk off having an organ removed. Even with his training and Jason wasn’t going to have the kid pushing himself like that. He wasn’t Bruce. Though knowing Tim he’d figure out something he could do without having to get up and around. 

“Conner is going to stay here with you. I need to get back to Damian. I just had to make sure you were okay,” Jason said moving to pat Tim’s shoulder. He and Tim were only just starting to get along. There’d been a lot of hurt feelings that weren’t Tim’s fault and it took some coaching from Dick for Jason to see that. Tim wasn’t so bad and honestly Jason did love his little brother. “Remember. None of this is your fault okay Tim? Try to rest. I’ll sneak in some of Alfred’s cooking tomorrow.” 

Tim offered a weak smile up at him. “Thanks Jason,” he said.

“Of course. We’re a family and we gotta take care of each other,” Jason told him with a weak smile back. He had to be strong for the kids. “If you need anything call me okay? Get some rest and listen to the doctors.” 

“I will,” Tim said. 

“Check-in,” he told them both. “Every half hour okay? Just in case. Humor me.” 

“We will,” Conner promised as Tim nodded. He was sure they could understand that Jason was going to be on edge about them being all the way in Gotham, away from the manor, and particularly vulnerable because of Tim’s state. 

Jason waved slightly as he left. He stopped at the receptionist desk to make sure that no one could be told that Tim was there unless they had a password and to call him if anyone tried to get in without one. They couldn’t be too careful. He took the fastest route back to the manor and parked out front. The moment he opened the door he was dive bombed by forty pounds of shaking six-year-old. 

“It’s okay Dames. I’m here,” Jason said lifting him more firmly into his arms and hugging him tightly to his chest. He cupped the back of the boy’s head as he tucked his face into Jason’s neck. Jon was hovering nearby as Clark and Alfred walked into the room. “Did you sit here at the door and wait for me to come back?” 

He felt Damian nod as Jon started to speak. “He wouldn’t leave the bench right here. He hasn’t talked the whole time,” the boy said. “I did my best to make him feel better but he just wanted you I think.” 

“He’s had a really rough day buddy. Thank you for staying with him though Jon. I’m sure he appreciates it,” Jason said. He needed to talk to Clark but he didn’t want to do it with Damian there. He doubted the boy would be sleeping anytime soon though he figured Damian was exhausted. He rubbed a hand over Damian’s back. “It’s okay Dami. I know you don’t want to but can you try to go up to your room to sleep?” 

Damian shook his head as Jason expected. He couldn’t say that he blamed the kid. He was very close to Dick and Dick was not only gone but his father had kidnapped him and nearly killed him. That was a lot for even Jason to process. He couldn’t imagine that trying to get it all processed was any easier for the boy. 

“Alright,” he said. “How about you and Jon watch some tv while Superman and I talk? We’ll be in the same room. Right where you can see me okay?” Jason just really didn’t want to wait to talk to Clark. The sooner they could look for Dick the better. He felt like he’d wasted too much time as it was. 

Damian hesitated to give any response but finally nodded. Jason carried him into the den where a tv was set up. He put the boy down on the couch and Jon sat next to him. Jason flipped it to some cartoon and Jon made a happy noise so he figured that it would be good. Damian only seemed to blankly stare at the screen but at least he wasn’t crying or freaking out like he had been when Jason had to put him down earlier. 

Jason moved over to a small table kept in the room and sat across from Clark. He gave a heavy sigh. This day was going on forever and the list of things he needed to do were piling up.

“I know this has to be hard,” Clark said reaching out to pat Jason’s shoulder. “I don’t know what’s going on but I know that you need help Jason. Dick is in danger.” 

“Yeah. He is. Bruce has been… raping him. Molesting and abusing him since he was a kid,” the Red Hood explained in a low voice so Damian wouldn’t have to hear it all again. He just had to hope that Jon was distracted enough to not be listening. “He kidnapped Tim and Damian and put them in danger. He stabbed Tim and to get him to stop Dick agreed to go with him. Conner got Tim to the hospital and I had to run with Damian because Bruce blew the building.” 

“Conner told me that you guys needed me,” Clark confirmed nodding. “I’m glad that I showed up. You weren’t in any state to drive. What are you wanting to do?” 

“I know I have to find Dick and I won’t be able to do that on my own. I need the Justice League. The Titans. My friends. Anyone I can get. It’ll take a lot to find Bruce. He’s smart and he’s got plans on how to take down everyone. He plans for everything. We’ll have to be careful and smart about what we do. I don’t put him above killing Dick if he feels boxed in. Then I’m going to have to figure out how to get custody of the boys so Bruce can’t take them but without bringing all of this to the media’s attention.” 

Clark listened to Jason thoughtfully. “We might have someone that can help with the custody. You’re familiar with J’onn J’onzz right? Martian Manhunter? He can shape shift. We’ll have him be Bruce and sign over custody to you,” he said. “And I’ll contact the League right now and have them start looking. Cyborg can look for them on cameras all over the world and Flash can go scouring.” 

“They have to be careful. I don’t put anything past Bruce,” Jason insisted. 

“I know Jason. We’ve all worked with him for years. We know that he’s capable of anything. We’ll be careful. None of us want anything happening to Dick. I’ve known him since he was nine years old. He was always so happy. No one would have ever guessed…” 

“Dick is like that,” the hood agreed with a heavy sigh. “Bruce threatened to hurt me and the other boys if he stepped out of line. According to Dick, Bruce sold me out to Joker because he found out that Dick was planning on taking me and running away. So he sold me out and set me up.” 

“But Dick stayed away for almost a year after that,” Clark said. “I know because he was doing a lot of work with the Titans at the time.” 

“But then Tim moved into the manor,” Jason reminded him, dragging a hand through his hair. “And Dick was being threatened again so he moved back and put himself between Bruce and Tim so Tim would be safe. As far as I know Bruce has never put his hands on them like that. Not until today anyway. Tim made mention that he suspected something was going on after Dick and I got to the warehouse but didn’t have any proof but I haven’t asked him about what he knows about it. He needs to work on healing and not feeling guilty. None of this is his fault. He’s a kid.” 

“I agree,” Clark said. “Do you think it’s going to be safe to have them at the manor? Should we find a place for them to go?” 

“I don’t think I could convince Damian to let me out of his sight like that,” Jason said. “And I wouldn’t be able to focus with them too far away to protect. I’m on edge about Tim being at the hospital as it is. If something happens, I won’t be able to get to him fast enough. I know Conner will be able to protect him but it’s not the same.” Jason felt responsible for his brother’s well being especially since it was looking like he’d be the boy’s guardian for the next couple of years until Tim turned eighteen. “Also, Bruce would know where the League would put them. He helped set up all of the Justice League’s safehouses. He knows where your mom’s farm is…. I have a few safehouses but I don’t know if Bruce knows where they are and I don’t want to risk it. Right now, he has Dick and he’s unhinged and most likely not thinking clearly. I don’t want to get comfortable enough to say we’re safe but the chances of him coming for us right now are most likely low.” 

“If he’s really losing his grip with reality, I wouldn’t put anything past him. You deal with unstable people everyday in Gotham.” 

“Even they have a bit of a pattern,” he said. “But you’re right. That’s why I said I’m not going to relax and I still want people here watching the manor and the hospital.” 

“I’ll get ahold of everyone. You just focus on Damian and yourself right now,” Clark said once again patting Jason’s shoulder gently. 

“I have a few phone calls to make too,” Jason said. “But thank Clark. Your help means a lot.” 

“Anytime,” he promised. “We’re happy to help. This is what we do. We bring down bad people. Even if we thought they were one of our own. We’ll bring Dick back and Bruce will face justice.” 

“I’d just rather let him face the barrel of my gun,” Jason said. “No jail will be able to hold him.” 

“We’ll figure something out Jason. I promise. Like I said. You’ve had a rough day and you need to focus on yourself and Damian right now. I know how time sensitive this can be but we can’t have you falling apart when the boys need you.” 

“I know. I know,” he said looking over at Damian who wasn’t really watching the tv. He was mostly looking over at Jason and the man could tell he didn’t want to be sitting there so Jason waved him over, pulling out his phone. He started typing away as Damian ran over and climbed into his lap.

“Is it okay if Jon stays here?” Clark asked. “There’s no one at home to watch him with Conner at the hospital with Tim.” 

“Yeah of course he can. I’m sure Damian appreciates him being here too,” Jason said. He sent a text out to Roy, Starfire, and Artemis who was with Bizarro. He wondered how the supers would fair with Bizzarro there but he figured that wasn’t too much of an important issue right now. It would be nice to have his friends around. He knew that Dick was close with Roy and Starfire too. 

As he laid in bed that night, Damian asleep and firmly stuck to his side after refusing to be put in his own bed, he couldn’t help but wonder about what Dick was dealing with. What was Bruce doing to him? God only knew and it was all Jason’s fault. He failed to protect Dick after he’d promised to keep him safe. Jason wasn’t much for emotions but he felt like tears were burning at his eyes. 

“Please just hold on Dick. I’m coming for you,” he promised quietly. Even if it took everything in him. He’d bring Dick back. People needed him. He was important to a lot of people, especially Jason. Damian too. Dick had practically raised him after all. "Just hold on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the chapter. Someone commented that they wanted to see the Titans, Justice League, and the JL get involved to save Dick and get Bruce which I am all for. Someone else wanted Jason and Dick to adopt the boys, again I am obviously all for it. 
> 
> Still I feel like this chapter wasn't my best so far. Maybe (hopefully) you think it's better than I do. It's the messy inbetween stages. I know what I want to do it's the getting there that's hard for me. I hope everyone enjoys. Comments are always appreciated. I have decided though that this will be a series because I had a nice idea that I want to bring in after this is all resolved. 
> 
> Also Lois is dead in this and you'll see why in the second part.


End file.
